Sinclair ZX80 / ZX81 / Z88 Forums

I had a stringy floppy / keyboard with case / 80 col printer ...

Such is life. Working on reliving the glory!

I didn't throw out my early computer stuff but being young it all got sold to buy the next thing...

Oh how I wish I still had them all!

As an aside I also find myself wishing for a Timex 1500. They rarely come up for sale over here - do they appear on eBay in the USA very often?

They (TS1500) do come up but it is becoming less in quantity and less in quality. I have one my mom bought where I replaced the keyboard membrane ( I tried cleaning ribbon contacts with alcohol! Which being aluminized disappeared. Took 20 years for my renewed interest and a replacement membrane ). I have another that ended up needing repair. It boots but no keyboard... haven't t'shoot yet.

If I had continued learning about Sinclairs computers from 1983 on. I may not still be learning how they work till I die. I am 51 now...

When I decided to move from Portugal to the U.S. back in 1995, my sister asked me: "What should we do with all your Sinclair stuff*?" to which I replied "I really don't care anymore. Sell it or give it away". And she did, except for three items by mom set aside because they had been a gift from my parents to me: A Sinclair Spectrum +2, a Polish Neptun 156 monochrome (green) monitor, and a Seikosha printer (big one, could print A4 or Letter size jobs in it).

*stuff: A couple hundred cassettes with Timex and Sinclair software, several TC2048s and TC2068s, several Spectrums (different models), several monitors, dozens of books, hundreds of English and Spanish Sinclair-related magazines, joysticks, and dozens of different interfaces.

22 years later, yes, I regret it. 10 years ago I rebuilt part of the collection, and added many ZX81/TS1000 items to it, but what's gone, is gone forever.

I too regret losing what I had for my TS1000. I had a TS1000, TS2068, 16 K Ram pack, Timex 2040 printer, Suntronic keyboard, Memotech HRG, books, about 10 tapes, and a board that was able to condition loading for a quick load program. The TS1000 was eventually hacked with a 8255 I/O chip to add a joystick for Frogger. When I started rebuilding my collection all I had was 2 books. I now have a ZX80Core, 2 TS1000, 1 ZX81, 7 tapes, 6 books, 4 16K Ram packs and soon a ZXBlast .

BTW: I had a much larger Commodore 64 collection I gave to my niece who sold it at a garage sale I have no interest in rebuilding my C64 collection since my first computer was the TS1000 and my loyalties belong to the Sinclair computer line

I had a suntronics keyboard and it was good, but I wish I had ALL the memotek stuff especially the keyboard.

Another MFR had a stackable expansion kit that had various interfaces that to me was innovative since it built upwards not towards the monitor.

Then the memotech MTX and the TS2068 with sleek comprehensive designed peripherals. I was envious.